How many calories do I need to burn to lose 2-5 pounds a week?

Question

I am 5'5 but 145 pounds. I have heard 3,500 calories = 1 pound.. but how many do you need to burn each day to lose about 2-5 pounds a week?

Answer 1

You can't, not safely. You can lose 2 lbs a week and that would be hard. You would need to restrict your calorie intake to about 1200 calories and work out about an hour intensly each day. The amount to lose by your body is different for everyone. But basically a crude measuremet would be your body weight times ten that would mean to maintain your weight you would need to consume 1450 calories 145 calories to digest food and 1450 times .5 for your exercise to find out how much your body needs to maintain its weight. Once you find out then you can deduct say 1000 calories each day by exercise and by reduction in intake (500 calories on the treadmill and 500 reduction in food) can you burn 7000 per week (2 lbs per week) so....
145*10 plus
145 plus
1450* .5
equals your calorie intake that your body needs so you know how much to reduce and how much to exercise without overestimating your daily need.
Slowly is the only way to KEEP it off and that is what is most important

Answer 2

Well, you'd need to burn 1000 extra calories per day to burn 7000 in one week, so that's your target. It gets a lot easier if you just eat a few hundred less than what you need because 1000 calories of exercise is quite a lot. Look here to get an idea: http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm

If you don't control your eating, it is impossible to trim down. So, here is what I'd recommend you do:

Take the weight you want to be at and multiply that by about 12. That is the number of calories you need to maintain that weight in an absolutely still position. Subtract from that about 300-500 calories, and add whatever you are going to burn while you exercise. You should start losing weight. It might not be at the rate of 2-5 lbs per week, but you're not really supposed to lose more than 2 lbs per week anyway. Good luck!

BTW, kudos on not letting your weight get out of hand before trying to do something about it. I don't think you have THAT far to go before you end up nice and lean.

Answer 3

2 x 3500 / 7 = 1000 excess calories per day
5 x 3500 / 7 = 2500 excess calories per day.

This is the amount you will need to burn, not counting any food you eat. Since a typical person burns maybe 1500 calories a day at rest and eats 2000 calories a day, you'd need to exercise enough to burn off the excess plus what you want to lose.

A thirty minute ride at a moderate pace on a stationary bike burns about 150 calories. If you do the math, you'll see you will need to ride your bike about 23 hours a week to burn off 7000 extra calories (2 pounds), and about 58 hours a week to burn off 17500 extra calories (5 pounds). This assumes your metabolism doesn't change due to the exercise, and doesn't account for any excess food you'd eat above and beyond your metabolic needs.

23 hours a week of exercise is possible, but unlikely unless you're already in top shape and training for a marathon. 58 hours a week of exercise will kill you, I'm pretty sure. That's over eight hours of continuous activity every day! Your body isn't designed for that kind of abuse.

Answer 4

I would like to lose about five pounds. I am currently at 121( with clothes and shoes on) and am 5ft 6 inches tall. I do not overeat but would love to be slimmer for the summer.

Answer 5

eat 5 6 small meals a day instead of 3

Answer 6

host a party the cleaning and prep work will keep you off the couch

Answer 7

try baking apple slices as a healthy alternative to potato chips

Answer 8

5'6 and 145 pounds isn't so 'FAT"..... just cut out the white stuff - potatoes, rice, sugar, flour products (bread, pizza) You won't need to worry about calories.

Answer 9

I lost 25 pound in 1.5 weeks! At first I couldn't believe that I could lose that much in so little time until i read this article

http://losew8fast.blogspot.com

Answer 10

plan active dates with your hubby such as bowling or golfing instead of dinner and a movie